The place and role of small regional cooperations in Hungary in the first decade of the 21st century

The paper shows the place and role of small regional cooperations, the changing situation of NUTS IV. level in Hungary, as well as the role and significance of different space systems in the regional development. Nowadays there are 168 so called statistical small regions in Hungary. They have statistical and planning reasons. There are more than 260 regional development local government associations in a partly different geographical framework. The spatial framework of the Hungarian small regions has been an important discussion recently in Hungary as well as their administrtative and local development roles. The author summarises and suggests a few tipology for small regional cooperations. Getting to know the problems and significance of small regions is creating tipology about their characteristics. Their size, economic and social background, spatial stucture, dinamism are the main points of view to create particular types. The study ends with seven thesis on the future of the small regions in Hungary.